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It is fifty years since Australia unilaterally issued petroleum exploration permits in the Timor Sea. For fifty years the Australian government has schemed to assert the integrity of those permits. Australia did nothing to stop Indonesia's devastating occupation of East Timor, when - on our doorstep - 120,000 lives were lost from a population of 650,000. Instead, our government colluded with the Indonesian government in pursuit of our Timor Sea oil agenda.

With access to never-before-seen classified documents, Kim McGrath tells the story of Australia and Timor's secret history. With many explosive revelations, she shows how access to resources has been a key factor in how Australia has responded to Timor, right up to the UN hearings scheduled for conclusion in September 2017. It is time, she argues, for Australia to reconsider our ruthless determination to claim oil and gas wealth in the Timor Sea that does not belong to us.

About the Author

Kim McGrath is Research Director at the Bracks Timor-Leste Governance Project, which provides policy advice to the Timor-Leste government. She is a PhD candidate at Monash University, examining the history of Australia’s Timor Sea oil agenda. She has been published in The Monthly and has long experience working in government and policy development.

'Revelatory, extraordinary and compelling - an absolute must-read.' --Peter Garrett'Crossing the Line is an unassailable expose of Australia's ruthless pursuit of resources in the Timor Sea. A timely and definitive book.' --Jose Ramos-Horta'Kim McGrath has trawled the national archives to produce the smoking gun on Australia's callous betrayal of the people who supported our commandos in World War II, and on the immoral and unlawful appropriation of their oil.' --Paul Cleary